When in Rome, one must indulge in the sights, meander through art galleries galore and absorb the history that is all around.
That is exactly how Lane Gower, senior in fine art, spent her 2016 summer when she studied abroad in Rome for the university's "Art in Rome" program.
Gower spent a little over a month in Rome, Italy taking classes and exploring the city. Along with a small group of fellow Auburn students, Gower began to acclimate herself to what she said was a fairly different culture.
Gower had hoped to study abroad during her time at Auburn and as time inched closer to graduation she knew she "had to suck it up" and go for it.
"Since I graduate soon, this summer was my last chance to study abroad," Gower said. "When the time came for us to put down money for the trip, I was conflicted, but I went for it. At that moment, I couldn't turn back. I was going to Rome."
Gower spent most of her free time exploring the many attractions that Rome has to offer.
"It was funny, because I was far more active in Rome than I was at home," Gower said. "I transformed into a different person, because there was always something to go see or something to do and all of it required a lot of walking."
According to Gower, her school was two miles from their apartment. Every day they would leave thirty minutes before and often show up late. Gower laughed and explained that many Italians are late which helped their case.
There were many cultural adjustments that Gower faced, starting with the lack of air conditioning and a clothing dryer. Negative cultural assumptions towards Americans created a few bumps along the way, but as time went on Gower and her classmates made connections that helped sway set opinions.
"The driving was crazy," Gower said. "That was something that surprised us all. They just squeeze wherever they can fit their car, no matter what direction they are facing."
Gower and her classmates made a point to make the most of their time in Italy by planning additional activities each day along with their courses. Although there were some days the group relaxed, Gower said it was often "get up and go".
Gower attended two courses, Art History and a studio course. She thoroughly enjoyed the correlation between the classes she took and what the city had to offer.
"Instead of just seeing the art in a slide show presentation the teacher would say, 'Alright, let's go see it and talk about it there,'" Gower said. "We got to see some of our favorite paintings and I thought to myself how much I wanted this lifestyle forever."
Gower experienced internal difficulties when the time came for her to leave Rome, as she has grown to love the city. Although it was difficult to leave, Gower looked forward to returning home and missed the food while she was traveling.
"There were a lot of conscious changes that occurred during my time there," Gower said. "Mostly, I changed physically and became a more positive person."
After the summer of travel, Gower said she is more opened to taking jobs out of the country when she graduates. Gower enjoyed traveling and the trip with the university helped take some of the fear out of exploring a different country.
"I was always terrified of how different it would be and throwing myself into a totally different culture was not something I was comfortable with," Gower said. "I feel so much better now, because I know I can do it and I did do it."
Gower said that studying abroad helps you find out things about yourself that would have never come to surface without being forced to adapt and make new decisions.
"You spend more time in your own mind thinking about issues you've never been faced with before," Gower said. "You learn more about yourself while you are learning about a totally different culture."
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